Haere Ra...New Zealand

After 2800 km in the Yaris, we are sad to leave the South Island, but are already making plans to return to the North Island soon and continue our New Zealand adventure.

We are grateful for the many lovely experiences we have had this trip, that we have been healthy and fit, had great weather and beautifull scenery and some lovely sunshine.

Our last snow capped mountain right on the coastline near Kaikoura

Road works in progress after the landslides of Nov 2016 following the 7.8 magnitude earthquakes at Kiakoura

Containers used to hold up the hills.  The road only opened for day traffic in January 2018.

Autumn colours all but gone

Secluded coastline only 20 minutes north of Christchurch, so uncommercialised, one of the things we like about NZ

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Our next adventure.....Cairns and Darwin NT.

Picton’s Snout

Our final couple of days were spent in Picton, north east corner of the South Island.  The lovely “scenic drive” over the Richmond Range, through a little town called Havelock who’s claim to fame is green mussels, and then along the Sounds to Picton.

Picton was very quiet, with many shops closed early on the Saturday when we arrived.  We always do a little drive around town to orientate ourselves before checking in.  Our motel was terraced giving us splendid harbour and marina views, had a small kitchenette and was home for 2 nights.

Walk over bridge to The Snout



After a sleep in, I think it was our first...we headed over to the peninsula straight out into the sound which is called The Snout.  It was a 3-4 hour walk to the tip and overlooks the Queen Charlotte Sound. It was a long but easy walk from our motel via Boyds Bay before climbing up to the ridge and onto the lookout near the tip.  There was a road along the top to drive most of the way and walk the last hour, but we chose to take the longer walk.we got to watch both car ferries head out down the Sound, a pretty good sight.

Queen Charlotte Sound in the background

More of that prickly gorse bush with yellow flowers...ferry leaving for Wellington.

From the lookout...the tip of The Snout behind us

A photo bombing bee

Cape Farewell

Cape Farewell, so named by Captain Cook, is a 35km sandy spit, home to thousands of migratory birds and the longest spit in the world.  It is also the most northerley point of New Zealand.  We visited Puponga overlooking the spit and Golden Bay for lunch, walked up to Wharariki Beach to Arch Islands (tide was too high to see the arches) and also walked through Puponga Farm Park to one of the many vantage points overlooking the cliffs along the Cape. The weather along the Cape was touch and go, windy and cold.

Bit worried my back pack was red, as we walked back to our car

Chalet and Springs - Riwaki

Our Chalet for 3 nights, with Bay views at Riwaki

Waikoropupu Springs...magical place

clearest water in New Zealand with deepest visibility

Bubbling away 

The rain had just started to drizzle as we got to the spring. If it was a brighter day it would have looked like this

Not much Wildlife

The thing we notice the most from our hikes in the wilderness is the silence, when I stop talking long enough to take a breath.  We rarely hear birds chirping, there are no snakes in New Zealand and we haven’t seen any lizards at all.  We haven’t come across a Kiwi and not likely too, and have seen only 2 Weka birds - NZ answer to the Aussie Bush Turkey, and friendly Fantails which “cheet cheet” as they fly around and follow you. Little finches and sparrows are common, and so are comorant and seagull sea birds.  

We are enjoing the variety of mushrooms of all things....even saw a purple one.

And.... I found what I like to think is the New Zealand Silver Fern.  I know they are prevailant in the Abel Tasman NP, so I am claiming it, it is green one side and silver underneath

Abel Tasman NP Walk

Blessed again with a beautifull dry day we set off early to drive the 5min to Kaiteriteri to catch Wilson’s Ferry to Medlands Beach in the Abel Tasman NP so we could walk south through Torrent Bay to Anchorage Bay where we would be picked up 5 hours later.  The walk was 10.6 km, over ridges and down valleys, over a swing bridge and many waterfall crossings.  The views were awesome, the water crystal clear and emerald green, the track not too damp and not too busy.  You could choose where you wanted to be dropped off and where to be picked up, with ample opportunities to make it a multi day hike.

We were greated by the Tiki of Tramping





Halfway Pool, and another great lunch view over Torrent Bay


We had 45min to spare, to relax on the beach and explore the caves and rock formations, and chit chat with fellow trampers.

Nelson really WOW’d us

We planned to see a lot of the northern third of the South Island as we missed it all last trip (18yrs ago).  We headed north through the middle via St Arnaud, and then had booked into a Chalet on a rural property at Riwaka just a few minutes north of Moteuka for 3 nights. I didn’t want to waste time walking around cities, with so much countryside to see.

However, Helen said a visit to Nelson was a must as it is considered to be more prominent than Christchurch, at least to the “northerners”.  It was a pretty harbour and port and I could see how it was so likable as it was small compared to Christchurch.

Derek also wanted to visit the car museum there, which was also part of the “WearableArt” museum.  As it was, it rained as we approached Nelson so this turned out to be a fabulous indoor activity to keep us out of the rain.

WOW. The World Of WearableArt

The car I learnt to drive in...an Anglia....yeah Baby!

Dresses made from 10,000m of organza ribbon, head phones, heart playing cards etc. lot had environmental themes too.

A lot were from Australia and New Zealand with some from Asia and Europe.  Very creative.

Mt Robert (part 2)

Over the saddle and the views were spectacular.  

Bushline hut is available for shelter and rest as Mt Robert is just the stepping off point for many multi-day hikes

No rest for me today

Beautiful view and Alpine grasses, although quite muddy, and 2/3 of Paddy’s Track is washed out and more like trenches than a track, so we took short cuts where we could

Happy Trampers


A good section of Paddy’s Track, heavy cloud cover over lake

Glacial feel looking back up

And down....my turn with the selfie stick!  Clouds cleared just for a photo, before more heavier rain. See my hair is soaked.

More walking through dense forest like in picture behind us, back to the car park.

Loved every bit of it, but glad to have hot shower and Pizza.  Finished at 2pm

Mt Robert just another hill

The weather was certainly in our favour as it was forcast to snow during the coming week.

Mt Robert overlooked Lake Rotoiti, and was begging to be climbed, so we set off as early as we could, considering dawn is late, low rain clouds and mist were hanging over the valley and we had a full cooked breakfast to fuel up on.

We were advised to walk up the 3.5km about 1 1/2 hour very steep Pinchgut Track...unrelenting is a better word, and come back down the 6.5km Paddy’s Track, and do the 600m uphill walk back to the top car park.  As we climbed up so many were coming down, they said they were advised to go the otherway.  ????

The weather was clear at first, then we were above clouds which hung over the lake, then light drizzle, then windy at the top, then sunshine, then heavy drizzle, then more sunshine, then more wind as we faced the lake, then cutting cold rain, then more clouds and drizzle,  you get the idea.  We do consider ourselves fortunate to get the photos we did.  We made a friend ...a french girl named Flo, she had lost her hiking, I mean tramping, friend somewhere on the up track, she caught up with us at Bushline Hut, and followed us down.  

Car park starting point was 900m elevation, climbed to 1420m, plus extra uphill back to carpark, one of our most favourite hikes for diverse scenery.

Spot our car

Intermittent Beech Forest

Beautiful Alpine Beech Forest just before the summit grasses

View from the top of Pinchgutt Track.....clouds covering lake, but view down the valley

First open grassy area at top of Pinchgutt Track and basic hut before option of going further on for multi day hike, or turning left and going back via Paddy’s Track

Crossing the Saddle 

Narrow foot track....so steep both sides......and windy that is blowy not wiggley

Part 2....to follow